City Clerk Toni Taber was given a reprieve by City Council following a review of the clerk’s job performance during a closed-door meeting on September 1. She had been facing dismissal.

The review was triggered by faulty advice provided by the clerk’s office to City Council and mayoral candidates during the 2014 local elections. The clerk’s office had instructed the candidates to follow state law when reporting late contributions. However, local law has stricter reporting standards.

This lack of information resulted in thousands of dollars in campaign contributions being improperly reported over the past two years and one councilman being fined $10,000 for improper filing.

While Taber was granted a second chance, her office still faces an audit and may have several of its key functions transferred to other city departments.

On September 23, Austin, Texas City Council Member Leslie Pool intends to present a new lobbying ordinance to the Audit and Finance Committee.

On Monday, the Ethics Review Commission was asked by Pool to set up a public hearing before the September 23 date. “Council members can start raising money in May [2016], so that’s why we’re trying to keep this moving forward,” Pool said, according to the Austin Monitor.

Commission Chair Austin Kaplan told the Austin Monitor the ordinance would subsequently be addressed by the full Ethics Review Commission at its September 28 meeting. Proposed changes to the city’s lobbying law include increasing the registration fee from $300 to $350 a year for those earning at least $2,000 per quarter and eliminating the exception to register when an individual claims communications are incidental to other employment not for the purpose of lobbying.

Photo of Austin, Texas skyline by Erik A. Ellison on Wikimedia Commons.

The Missouri Ethics Commission recently found a group of lobbyists improperly reported food and drink expenditures made during a 2014 American Legislative Exchange Council State Night dinner. The lobbyists reported the entire General Assembly as the recipient for the total cost of the dinner, though not every member of the Legislature received an invitation to the event.

Such expenditures were required to be reported on behalf of each public official rather than as a group expenditure. The punishment simply requires each lobbyist to amend his or her filing and cite the specific legislators in attendance at the dinner.

Some feel the ruling sets a dangerous precedent, as lobbyists may continue to hide individual gifts under the guise of a group event as long as the entire group receives an invitation.

On August 28, state Rep. Rick Glazier resigned from his seat in the General Assembly to take a job with the North Carolina Justice Center.

He had planned to wait until the end of the session, but had to step down earlier because the session has lasted longer than expected.

Democrats in the 44^th District will meet to choose his replacement.

The Ethics Commission has launched a new online tool to track financial activity for the November 3, 2015, election.

These interactive campaign finance dashboards will provide visual summaries of the contributions and expenditures of candidate and ballot measure committees, lobbyists, contributors, and third parties. It will also provide information on expenditure ceilings and any public funds dispersed through the city’s public financing program.

The dashboards can be found here. The data utilized by the dashboards can be downloaded from the Ethics Commission website or the SF OpenData website.

City Councilman Joe Cimperman is being investigated by the Ohio Ethics Commission about his involvement in city contracts awarded to LAND Studio, a design firm where his wife works.

Records indicate Cimperman has sponsored and voted in favor of ordinances awarding city contracts to LAND Studio, as well as sponsoring resolutions supporting applications by the firm for state grant money to buy land for the Lake Link Trail project.

Under state law, it is a fourth-degree felony if an official uses his or her authority or influence to obtain a contract in which the official, a family member, or a business associate has an interest.

Cimperman has stated he either abstained from votes related to LAND Studio or only voted on such legislation following clearance by the city law department.

Photo of Joe Cimperman courtesy of theciviccommons on Wikimedia Commons.

A special election has been scheduled for November 3, 2015, for the House District 19 seat. The seat was left vacant when state Rep. William Noon passed away from cancer.

His widow, Jean Noon, an organic sheep farmer, was chosen by Democratic caucus to run in the special election.

The Republican caucus chose Matthew Harrington, a police officer, as their candidate.

Photo of Rep. William Noon courtesy of the Maine House of Representatives website.

A special election to fill the seat for House District 3A has been scheduled for December 8, 2015.

Gov. Mark Dayton ordered the special election when the seat was left vacant by the death of state Rep. David Dill.

Candidates may file to run through August 31. If needed, a special primary will be held on September 29.

Photo of Rep. David Dill courtesy of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed Senate Bill 248, increasing the transparency of political spending. The bill requires political committees making independent expenditures of $1,000 or more file a report within five business of the expenditure.

If the expenditure is made during the 60-day period before an election, the report must be filed within two business days.

The bill, now Public Act 99-0437, goes into effect on January 1, 2016.

Beginning September 17, 2015, a new lobbying law takes effect in the San Joaquin County. Passed by the Board of Supervisors on August 18, the ordinance requires lobbyists, lobbying firms, and lobbyist’s employers to register when lobbying the board.

The ordinance defines a lobbyist as “any individual who is employed, contracts, or otherwise receives compensation of $500 or more in any calendar month” to lobby the board. The definition excludes news organizations, elected officials, and agents of tax-exempt organizations. Registration with the clerk of the board is required 10 days after becoming engaged as a lobbyist. There is an initial registration fee of $75. The annual registration renewal is $50.

The clerk’s office is presently in the process of implementing the new ordinance and creating a registration form.

In September, the Los Angeles, California’s Ethics Commission will be soliciting public comment on the Municipal Lobbying Ordinance. Meetings for interested persons will be held at City Hall at 11:30 a.m. on September 9 and 2:00 p.m. on September 17. The commission is requesting interested persons to sign up for the meetings by email at ethics.policy@lacity.org by September 4.

A special session of the legislature adjourned Friday, August 21, 2015, without an agreement on a new congressional district map. Florida’s supreme court ruled the current map unconstitutional, forcing lawmakers to return to Tallahassee earlier this month.

The failure to reach an agreement likely means the new map will be drawn by the courts. Gov. Rick Scott could force the legislature back into session before a court hearing on Tuesday, August 25, but he has stated he would not do so.

An audit of how the Government Accountability Board (GAB) handles complaints has determined there are no significant problems with the current process used by the agency.

The report by the Legislative Audit Bureau suggested two minor changes concerning timely resolution of complaints and keeping the board provided with the names of at least three people eligible to be hired as special investigators.

GAB Director Kevin Kennedy said, “It puts to rest any questions as to whether the six board members exercise independent judgment when they make decisions about complaints, investigations and penalties.”

Gov. Scott Walker and state Republican leadership are expected to continue to push for an overhaul of the agency.

State Sen. Rick Brinkley resigned from the Senate just before pleading guilty to federal felony charges on August 20, 2015.

The charges stem from an investigation into misappropriated funds from the Better Business Bureau of Tulsa. A lawsuit filed by the BBB alleges Brinkley used fake corporations to steal more than $1.8 million from the agency.

Brinkley had been the president and CEO of the BBB until 2011 when he became its chief operating officer; he was fired in April of 2015.

A special primary election to fill the Senate District 34 seat will be held on November 12, 2015. If a special general election is needed, it will be held on January 12, 2016.